From the earliest times in recorded history, there have been continuing efforts to develop the tools that could ease the burdens of mankind. Initially, such tools were very primitive, but, in recent years, both manual and powered tools have become more sophisticated and specialized to address the widely varying needs that are faced in modern life. However, while such tools have been highly beneficial, there have remained a number of vexing problems of rather significant proportions.
As a matter of fact, the very development of such specialized tools has, ironically, turned out to be nothing more than a mixed benefit. On the one hand, it has facilitated the ability to complete a wide range of different tasks, but, on the other hand, the sheer number of tools which is required today is oftentimes staggering and expensive. On the down side, even if one has all of the tools that are required to complete a given task, there can be practical problems in their use.
More specifically, it is sometimes difficult to find a needed tool due to the sheer number of tools that must be owned. There is also another problem in that switching from one tool to another can be time consuming and frustrating, particularly if the worker is in a position of limited access where it is impossible to maintain in close proximity all of the tools that may be needed to perform a particular task. In fact, this can in some instances actually pose not only an unwanted hindrance to completing a task but also a safety hazard.
In line with the present invention, it is very well known that there exists a wide variety of fasteners and sizes of fasteners that are available for a multitude of different purposes. It is oftentimes the case that a worker will need to be installing and/or removing fasteners of different types and sizes in rapid succession, and this also frequently occurs in many instances at a time when a worker is not at or near a supply of tools, such as a tool box or the like. For this purpose, it would be highly desirable to have a multi-function driving tool that could be carried in a shirt pocket to successfully accomplish this objective in a highly effective manner.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the foregoing problems and achieving one or more of the resulting objects.